System and method for data management of a communication device

ABSTRACT

A communication device and a method for data management include setting a birth month and a birth day of each contact in a contact list. The method further includes arranging all the contacts in the contact list according to the birth month of each contact, and arranging contacts having the same birth month according to the birth day of each contact sharing the same month.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to communication devices,and in particular, to a system and method for data management of acommunication device.

2. Description of Related Art

Many popularly used communication devices, such as mobile phones,provide organization of user information, such as contacts. Often, suchinformation is sorted into one preset order and cannot be rearrangedaccording to user requirements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a communication deviceincluding a management system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the management system ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the management systemof FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for data managementof a communication device, such as, for example, that of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way oflimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereferences indicate similar elements. It should be noted that referencesto “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily tothe same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.

In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodiedin hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions,written in a programming language, for example, Java, C, or assembly.One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded infirmware, such as an EPROM. It will be appreciated that modules maycomprised connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and maycomprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays orprocessors. The modules described herein may be implemented as eithersoftware and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type ofcomputer-readable medium or other computer storage system.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a communication device 1including a management system 30. The communication device 1 includes astorage system 50, which may store a calendar 10 and a contact list 20.The management system 30 may rearrange contacts in the contact list 20according to birthday information of the contacts. The calendar 10 mayprovide time information.

The contact list 20 includes contact information of the contacts, suchas phone numbers and addresses, for example. The contact list 20 furtherincludes a birth date 21. The recording format of the birth date 21 maybe month/day. For example, if the birth date of a contact is March 14,the birth data in the birth date 21 is represented as “03-14”. Thestorage system 50 may be a memory system of the communication device 1,and also may be an external storage card, such as a smart media (SM)card, or secure digital (SD) card, for example.

The communication device 1 further includes a display 40 and a processor60. The display 40 may output visible data, such as images or thecontact information, for example. The processor 60 executes one or morecomputerized code of the communication device 1 and other applications,to provide the functions of the communication device 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the management system 30of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the management system 30 includes asetting module 300, an acquisition module 302, a sort module 304, and adisplay module 306. The modules 300-306 may comprise computerized codein the form of one or more programs that are stored in the storagesystem 50. The computerized code includes instructions that are executedby the at least one processor 60 to provide functions for modules300-306. Details of these operations follow.

The setting module 300 sets a birth date 21 for each contact in thecontact list 20, and stores information of the birth date 21 in apredetermined recording format into the storage system 50. In someembodiments, the birth date 21 includes a birth month and a birth day,and the recording format may be recorded as month/day.

The acquisition module 302 obtains birth dates including the birth monthand the birth day of each contact from the birth date 21.

The arranging module 304 arranges all the contacts in the contact list20 according to the birth month of each contact, and arranges contactsin the contact list 20 having the same birth month according to thebirth day of each of the contacts having the same birth month. In someembodiments, the contacts may be arranged in order from January toDecember, and contacts having the same birth month may be arrangedaccording to the birth day in an order from 1 to 31.

The acquisition module 302 further determines a current month from thecalendar 10.

The display module 306 rearranges the contacts with birth monthsmatching the current month ahead of contacts (e.g., in front of orbehind) with birth months different from the current month. The displaymodule 306 further shows the rearranged contacts in the contact list 20on the display 40. In some embodiments, the display module 306 mayfurther rearrange the other contacts with birth months other than thecurrent month according to the birth month and the birth day. Detaileddescriptions follow.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the management systemof FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3( a), the setting module 300 sets eachbirth date 21 of the contact list 20. The acquisition module 302 obtainsbirth date including birth month and birth day of each contact from thebirth date 21.

As shown in FIG. 3( b), the arranging module 304 arranges all thecontacts in the contact list 20 according to the birth month of eachcontact, and arranges contacts having the same birth month according tothe birth day of each of the contacts having the same birth month. Theacquisition module 302 determines that the current month from thecalendar 10 is March. In the contact list 20, birth months of “Bill” and“Amy” are March.

As shown in FIG. 3( c-1), the display module 306 rearranges the contacts“Bill” and “Amy” with birth months March ahead of the other contactswith birth months not March, and maintains them, still according to thebirth month and the birth day.

As shown in FIG. 3( c-2), the display module 306 rearranges the contactswith birth months not March according to an order of the birth monthfrom April to February. In other embodiments, the contacts of contactlist 10 may be shown in other display modes.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for data managementusing a communication device such as, for example, that of FIG. 1.Depending on the embodiment, additional blocks may be added, othersremoved, and the ordering of the blocks may be changed.

In block S110, the setting module 300 sets a birth date 21 for eachcontact of the contact list 20, and stores information of the birth date21 in a predetermined recording format into the storage system 50. Thebirth date includes birth month and birth day, and the recording formatmay be recorded as month/day.

In block S111, the acquisition module 302 obtains birth dates includingthe birth month and the birth day of each contact from the birth date21.

In block S112, the arranging module 304 arranges all the contacts in thecontact list 20 according to the birth month of each contact, andarranges contacts having the same birth month according to the birth dayof each of the contacts having the same birth month.

In block S113, the acquisition module 302 further determines a currentmonth from the calendar 10.

In block S114, the display module 306 rearranges the contacts with birthmonths matching the current month ahead of the other contacts with birthmonths different from the current month. The display module 306 furtherdisplays the rearranged contacts in the contact list 20 on the display40. The display module 306 further maintains the other contacts withbirth months different from the current month according to the birthmonth and the birth day.

It should be emphasized that the described inventive embodiments aremerely possible examples of implementations, and set forth for a clearunderstanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Manyvariations and modifications may be made to the above-describedinventive embodiments without departing substantially from the spiritand principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications andvariations are intended to be comprised herein within the scope of thisdisclosure and the above-described inventive embodiments, and thepresent disclosure is protected by the following claims.

1. A communication device, comprising: a storage system storing acalendar and a contact list; a display; at least one processor; and oneor more programs that are stored in the storage system and are executedby the at least one processor, the one or more programs comprisinginstructions: to set a birth date of each contact in the contact list,the birth date comprising a birth month and a birth day of the eachcontact; to arrange all the contacts in the contact list according tothe birth month of each of the contacts, and arrange contacts having thesame birth month according to the birth day of each of the contactshaving the same birth month.
 2. The communication device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions:to determine a current month from the calendar.
 3. The communicationdevice as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one or more programs furthercomprise instructions: to rearrange the contacts with birth monthsmatching the current month ahead of the other contacts with birth monthsdifferent from the current month, and display the rearranged contacts inthe contact list on the display.
 4. The communication device as claimedin claim 3, wherein the one or more programs further compriseinstructions: to maintain the other contacts with birth months differentfrom the current month still according to the birth month and the birthday.
 5. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein thebirth date of each contact in the contact list in recorded in a formatof month/day.
 6. A computer-implemented method for data management of acommunication device, the communication device comprising a calendar anda contact list, the method comprising: setting a birth date of eachcontact in the contact list, the birth date comprising a birth month anda birth day of the each contact; arranging all the contacts in thecontact list according to the birth month of each of the contacts, andarrange contacts having the same birth month according to the birth dayof each of the contacts having the same birth month.
 7. The method asclaimed in claim 6, further comprising determining a current month fromthe calendar.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprisingrearranging the contacts with birth months matching the current monthahead of the other contacts with birth months different from the currentmonth, and showing the rearranged contacts in the contact list on adisplay of the communication device.
 9. The method as claimed in claim8, further comprising maintaining the other contacts with birth monthsdifferent from the current month still according to the birth month andthe birth day.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the birthdate of each contact in the contact list in recorded in a format ofmonth/day.
 11. A storage medium storing a set of instructions, the setof instructions capable of being executed by a processor to perform amethod of data management of a communication device, the communicationdevice comprising a calendar and a contact list, the method comprising:setting a birth date of each contact in the contact list, the birth datecomprising a birth month and a birth day of the each contact; arrangingall the contacts in the contact list according to the birth month ofeach of the contacts, and arrange contacts having the same birth monthaccording to the birth day of each of the contacts having the same birthmonth.
 12. The storage medium as claimed in claim 11, further comprisingdetermining a current month from the calendar.
 13. The storage medium asclaimed in claim 12, further comprising rearranging the contacts withbirth months matching the current month ahead of the other contacts withbirth months different from the current month, and showing therearranged contacts in the contact list on a display of thecommunication device.
 14. The storage medium as claimed in claim 13,further comprising maintaining the other contacts with birth months notmatching the current month according to the birth month and the birthday.
 15. The storage medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the birthdate of each contact in the contact list in recorded in a format ofmonth/day.